, 1887-11-10
The Wright Mystery Again


( PuET LuULow. Nov >. 1851.
ErvroE ARrrs, Dear SIR In reply
10 an aHonym MS article appearing in
/ the current i~-ue Of the Weekly AR
"r-, ! would say that the same Is
/ rather lame attempt to cuntrovrrt
! III fact made known in Il former
! letter hrariu" the writer's signature.
| i Il necessary for mo at thl, late day
! to inform Intelligent readers of the
| AE0l' that IN the examination Of ala
important quest like this, every one
should he slaw-pulsed and calm
| In-oleuce is not logic Epithets are
tina arguments of malice. This is too
! serious 4 question TO be tainted with
malicious words My opponents hurl
| IeWthrts:l VII answer only with facts
by way Of intcductiua let me say.
| that part of. tho statements contained
ia the article published 10y the writer
! know from personal knowledge to
! be Incoutr0Tcrtiblc truths; and |
ataud ready 10 seal those statements
with the oath of Il man who realizes
| the binding nature thereof; with the
| oath Of a citizen whose public and
private acts defy, yed challenge, in
vrstlgatiCn. The remaining state
meuts are either based an direct eyi-
drnce, Sustained hy witnesses of un-
/ imp"achah!c character. or on circum
stantiUl evidence drawn from remarks
made by members OF VIM. Wright's
! family, all of winch can easily make
| plaIn 10 the duliest comprehension
| But, ere | start, let me assure the
| public, tfur 1t Is on the tribunal OF
public opinion that this case must
eventually b2 triod) that far from
| throwing any suspicion on Alvin G.
| Wright, | have always looked upon
nn as Il young imam who had risen
| far above his surroundings, and have
both in public aud private. whenever
the opportunity offered, lent my per
SUnal Influence 10 shield hin from
| tie tongue of tho sli ndeTer; and if
the evidence which ] SIN now about
| To Introduce, conflicts with statements
already made hy him it is no concern
Of mInc. Lc! instic,- be done, though
| the heavens fall. l viii now proceed
to answer iii" allegations contained
! il said article i'll the order find them
presented. In the first place We find
! the unqualified statement, that l am
the only person in this community
known 10 be Nm. Wright's enemy
\ grave charge, if true. \ denial on
! my part would be 10 answer to such
a charge. But. fortunately. l have
got proof that such is not the case
| " hilc admitting that the character
of the missing man sigually failed TO
| suit my ideal of true manhood, that
| from my standpoint he lacked even
the PRIMARY elements, that form the
nucleus on which true manhood is
| built, vet IN the same breath | indiS-
uantly deny that in my heart L cher
ished, or do at ipresent cherish, feel
ings of revenge against him who is
gone. Born among the rugged glens
of Antrim, Of I'm ancestry that has
given to the republic many of her
most useful and honored citizens,
trained by parents who, in their in
hereut respect for law and order,
taught my infant lips to bless a Queen
wAose predecessors for II thousand
years have been sucking the hearts
blood Of my ancestral home. and if L
since havS learned to curse her, does
| the fact merit reprCof! If | Stunned
Nh Wright's society, does that i'm
ply that I dogged his footsteps, or
that / was his enemy! L think not.
If / shrank from him as an unclean
thing. doessthat prove that failei
to draw the line of demarcation be
tween the disapproval which shuns
the object, and the bigotry which
aims at persecution. That there were
others who disapproved of MIR.
Wrights course, L can readily show
you. A gentleman living in this com
munitv, in answer to question of
mine as to why he sold his farm ad-
joining that of Wright told me that
malicious persecution of Wm. Wright
and his family; or words to that eff
feet. The author of that statement
is no less Il citizen than VIM. Mont
gomery of Chimacum, road supervis
or Of Port Ludlow District, and i
dare him to deny it. He further told
me that said parties, fearing to lntllct
physical punishment on his person,
having heard, let us suppose, OF his
hitting powers in the ring, and fear
ing clash of arms with man of
Williams undoubted prowess, were
at that time engaged in occasionally
wreaking their pent up spite on VII.
liam's innOfensivc COWS, one or two OF
which he had already lost from said
cause; and III support of the above
statement, in reply to further query
of mine, he replied, that while he had
no direct evidence TO the fact, yet he
had circumstantial evidence strong
enough to convince any reasonable
man that they were the guilty part
les. Now, by way of Parenthesls. L
will state that i'll my dealings with
Wm. Wright's family L never had
canse TO believe them guilty of any
such acts. and if their father depart
ed from the path of rectitude, L at
| tributcd that 10 his ignorance, his
| iutemperate habits, and the false po-
sition in which he was placed. VIM.
| Montgomery may attempt to deny
/ these facts. or he may have forgotten
them: but let me assure him that L
have got Il faultless memory of facts
and figures and that / have got 1rit-
ness at my back to prove the asser-
ton; UitncSS, whose characterl Is above
rcproach.
SO ends assertion No. l.
As to allegation No. ,, | simply re-
affirm the sentiments of my former
Z i Il